By Mia A. Aznar
Thursday, October 20, 2011
PLANNING for the long term not only gives local officials a direction, it can also be the basis for foreign investors to pick a destination to invest in.
Harold Robok, IBM director of general business in Germany, said they are promoting the idea of long-term planning so Cebu can have a clear direction.
Robok is one of six top level executives that IBM Corp. sent to Cebu to help the Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board (MCDCB).
He cited the case of Curitiba, Brazil and Singapore, which have clear masterplans for their cities and have improved living conditions of their citizens.
Robok said that in Singapore, they have clear land use planning and zoning initiatives that attract investors. He noted that investors need a long-term perspective before pouring their money on a city.
Decisions
Having a long-term plan, he said, helps investors make important decisions.
“They like to see where a society is heading,” Robok said.
Roberto Aboitiz, co-chairman of the MCDCB and president of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., said that if Cebu wants to attract investments and compete against its neighbors, it has to move away from individual government units and work as one.
Aboitiz said more investments mean more jobs for Cebuanos. He hopes that the jobs Cebuanos get will be higher than what they currently land, which are mostly entry-level jobs.
He said there is “a certain level of attractiveness” if Cebu is seen as city-region, rather than a cluster of small local government units.
He added that if foreign investors ask what can be done about floods, traffic and water supply, they will not understand if a plan or solution given is only limited to one territory and will not extend to the neighboring city.
“We can’t answer the world that way,” Aboitiz said.
Besides attracting investments, Aboitiz said a well-planned city will not just make Cebu a destination for tourism, it will make residents of Cebu able to live in a place that can handle prosperity. Planning, he said, will help prepare Cebu for more cars on the streets and face environmental problems.
Though they are still starting, Aboitiz said they plan to present the MCDCB structure to the Regional Development Council.
Focus areas
After spending three weeks in Cebu, top level executives of IBM presented a set of recommendations that they hope would help MCDCB progress from planning into action.
IBM Corp. spent some $400,000 for six of their executives from the United States, Germany, Italy and Sweden to stay in Cebu and share their expertise in helping Cebu plan the future.
In a briefing for reporters yesterday, IBM Philppines manager for systems and technology Erwin Chuaunsu identified board governance, land use planning and traffic management as focus areas for the executive service corps to lend their assistance to the MCDCB.
Cebu is one of only 11 cities chosen by IBM Corp. to have the executive service corps.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on October 21, 2011.
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